The Trees, Early Afternoon, France
William A. Harper American, born Canada
This rare work by the Black landscape painter William A. Harper depicts a bucolic scene in the French countryside. Canadian-born and Chicago-trained, Harper also studied informally in Paris with Henry Ossawa Tanner, the leading African American expatriate of his generation. Harper’s interest in painting regional subjects outside of Paris’s urban environs was shared by many American artists in these years. In transitional works such as this scene, Harper revealed the influence on his art of the French Barbizon painters as well as the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.